Abstract
This study presents data on morphometric variation for length and width of elytra in tive sympatric species of the genus Chauliognathus Hentz, 1830: C. flavipes Fabricius, 1781, C. octomaculatus Pie, 1915, C. expansus Waterhouse, 1878, C. fallax Germar, 1824 and C. lineatus Zwetsch & Machado, 2000. The meaning of this variation is discussed in the light of the theory of mimicry and visual communication between prey and predator. Females are larger than males in all species, except C. expansus. The analysis of variance for length of elytron as well as for width showed that the differences between species are significant for males and females; significant interaction (sex x species) was also found. The similarity in color pattern of these species, as well as similarities in the morphometric analysis, suggests that they could form a mimetic ring of the Mullerian type, which the authors suggest be called, a yellow-black complex.
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